Halloween Hijinks
by smiles1116
Summary: A mini-series of drabbles/ficlets of the Naruto babies being shown various Halloween traditions.
1. Carving Pumpkins -Gaara-

A small redheaded child wearily eyes the little pumpkins atop the table, an older girl standing before him with a mischievous twinkle in her deep blue eyes.

"Gaara, it's not that bad!" She exclaims with a grin. "It's just a little pumpkin splooge!"

"…" The jade eyes slowly peer into the pumpkin set before him, the top already carved off. His nose wrinkles slightly as he examines the contents. "… I don't want to touch it, Awi."

"Speak not such nonsensical buffoonery!" Arianna can't help laughing at his expression. "That's just silly, Gaara. I know it looks gross, but it's a lot of fun to squish!"

"… I don't like wet things."

"Have you ever squished pumpkin guts?"

"… No."

"Then how do you know you don't like it?" He shrugs a little and looks away, causing her to smile. "I can't make our treat if you don't help me get out the pumpkin insides, okay?"

"… Do I have to do it, Awi?"

"Yes."

Gaara slowly sets his teddy down on a stack of books in a chair, just so he can watch the proceedings. The dinky redhead shifts closer to the pumpkin on the chair he stands upon, pushing up his sleeves like his babysitter's. He raises his hand and looks up at her with a grimace, hand slowly lowering toward the hole in the pumpkin's top. Arianna barely manages to keep from laughing with glee as he delicately pats the goop within.

"… It's slimy."

"Well go on; scoop some out into the bowl." She pushes a clear plastic bowl beside his pumpkin. Gaara slowly squishes his fingers in the splooge, wrinkling his nose as he pulls it out and drops it into the bowl. His eyes widen after a moment as he picks up an off-white thing from within.

"What's this?"

"Ah, you've found our treat!" Arianna smiles as she winks at him. "That's a pumpkin seed! When we're done clearing out the pumpkins, we're going to pick them all out, clean them, and then toast them in the oven."

"… Do they taste good?" The soft voice sounds rather intrigued.

"Toasted pumpkin seeds are really good," Arianna lightly taps his nose, "if they're made right. But you have to help me squish out the pumpkins first!"

Gaara hesitates as he looks into the pumpkin; the gooey pumpkin guts are cold and slimy, but the promise of tasty treats is tempting... It's enticing enough that he finally shuts his eyes, scrunches his nose, and shoves his hands into the mess within, soon becoming a happy, slimy child coloring on his pumpkin while the seeds toast in the oven under Arianna's supervision.


	2. Apple Bobbing -Shikamaru-

Shikamaru sighs and grumbles lowly. "This is such a drag, Anzu."

The older girl sighs and shakes her head. "Shikamaru, I don't care that you don't want to go to the Halloween fair. I do, and it'll be good for you to do something besides watching the clouds all day."

"… I like watching the clouds. They're not troublesome."

"I'll make you a deal." Anzu turns with her hand on her hip. "You pick one game at the fair appropriate for your age level. None of those silly games for three-year-olds. If you can win, then I'll let you watch the clouds for three whole days without saying a word. I'll even make a picnic lunch to bring to you each day so you can stay out."

Shikamaru's brown eyes slide from the blue sky holding fluffy white masterpieces onto the girl who has been taking his lazy attitude off his mother's hands during the day for the last couple of weeks. He studies her for a long moment. "… Do you mean that?"

"Yes. I mean every word."

"… Deal."

"Fine, now pick your game." She gestures around at the various games. Shikamaru's eyes slide around, automatically passing the games for toddlers, such as the fishing game where contestants hang "fishing rods" over a piece of cardboard and a hidden person clothespins a prize to the string then tugs for them to "reel in." He dismisses the usual type Halloween-themed fair games, searching for the easiest, and finally his eyes land upon a barrel with a sign next to it.

"What's that game, Anzu?"

"It looks like the gentleman is filling up the barrel for apple bobbing."

"What's the objective?"

"You simply pull out an apple without using anything but your mouth and face." They watch the shiny apples splash into the barrel and float to the top.

"… I choose that one."

He misses the smirk on his babysitter's face. "Fine. If you can pull out an apple before the fair closes, you win."

Shikamaru walks over with his hands in his pockets and peers into the barrel. With a sigh he leans in and bites at an apple… only for his teeth to slide right over the skin, the apple bobbing down into the water before resurfacing. A frown creases his forehead as he bites at it again with the same results. He'd thought this game would be much simpler; it had sounded easy enough. He withdraws his hands from his pockets and places them on the sides of the barrel, leaning in and nudging his chosen apple to the side, trying to find a way to hold it still long enough to bite. Time and time again, the apple bobs down or spins out of reach, and water splashes over his face and dampens his collar.

It had never occurred to him that he could lose.


	3. Making Masks -Neji-

A young brunette child stumbles slightly as he is ushered into the spacious kitchen by none other than his rather bubbly babysitter. The currently chocolate-curled female finds herself grinning helplessly as she finally unveils the "big surprise" she'd been planning for the last month.

"Tadaaa~!"

"…" The precocious young brunette merely stares at the many… many… items littering the countertops and half of the table.

"Don't you like it, Neji?!"

"… What is it?" The child rubs absently at his forehead, as if the recently placed curse mark were itchy.

"We're going to make masks for Halloween!" The honey-eyed girl exclaims with a rather wide grin, filled with excitement.

"… I do not understand, Reina-chan." The child's face still doesn't give any hint of joy or excitement like she thought it would.

"We're going to color and glue and glitter our own masks to go trick-or-treating in, Neji!" She smiles and gestures to the chair. "And we'll do it whether you like it or not… or I'll muss your hair!"

Neji stares at her then sighs, slowly climbing into the chair and looking at the strengthened cardboard sheets before him. "What must I do?"

Reina smiles before gauging where his eye and mouth holes should go with a tape measure. "There, now you draw your mask around the holes. Then I'll help you cut it out, and you can decorate it!"

"What am I supposed to make?"

"Anything you want!"

"But who am I supposed to be?"

Reina smiles and places her hand on his head. "Any_ONE_ you want!"

"Any…" Neji's pupil-less eyes widen slightly, and he quickly gets busy, drawing the outline within only a few moments. Reina finds it a bit odd that the usually stoic child is nearly squirming with anticipation but makes sure to cut it out quickly. Upon returning the blank mask, Neji looks up. "What do I do now?"

"You decorate it!" Reina beams at him. "I've brought paints, markers, crayons, glitter, ribbons, stickers, puff balls, sequins, plastic jewels… make it just how you want, Neji-kun!"

Neji's eyes widen and he rushes forward to look through the things she has brought, frowning a little before looking up. "Can… I bring something of mine to glue on?"

"Sure, if you want." Reina smiles in curiosity, watching the child run off outside. She forces herself to remain in her seat and begins to decorate her own mask with glitter and jewels. She looks up as Neji comes running in with something clasped in his arms.

"Reina-chan, can I use these?" The girl examines what he lays out on the table before smiling.

"Hai, Neji! I'll help you stick those on, just how you want!"

* * *

Neji's face holds a grin behind his special mask as he trick-or-treats. With Reina's help, he had managed to layer feathers he had been collecting to look like a bird's mask.

_Tonight… I am free._


	4. Scary Stories -Sasuke-

"And once he led her into the crawl space beneath the house… she saw the truth," Maiko holds her hands up and wiggles her fingers, trying to look spooky with her scary grin as she tells the urban legend to the younger of the raven-haired children she babysits. The boy gazes up at her with his mouth ajar, eyes growing wider with every moment of anticipation.

"W-what was it?!" Sasuke squeaks, clutching his fleece blanket around his shoulders.

"She saw the body of a teenage girl with a face still contorted mid-scream," Maiko leans toward him as her voice drops, the fire before them casting eerie flickering shadows over her features. "And she realized she was already dead!"

Sasuke stares up at her with a horrified look then tries to suppress it. "That… that wasn't scary at all."

"Oh it wasn't?" Maiko smirks at him and leans in. "Then why do you look so scared?"

"I'm _not_ scared!" Sasuke crosses his arms, pouting just a little. "I'm… I'm creeped-out! Creepy is different than scary!"

Maiko grins at him and lightly pokes his nose. "If you say so!"

"I do!" Sasuke snuggles further into his soft fleece blanket, black with the Uchiha clan fan in the center.

"Alright, then it's bedtime!"

Her words make Sasuke gulp as he rises and goes back to his room, trying to convince himself that he isn't afraid.

"Do you need a night light, Sasu-chan?"

"No! I'm not afraid!" He crawls into bed stubbornly and curls up with his eyes shut.

The older girl chuckles and shakes her head. "Sweet dreams, Sasuke."

* * *

Sasuke yawns and rubs his eyes as someone speaks beside him. He finally looks up and mumbles. "Itachi-nii-chan?"

"Sasuke, you need to come with me."

"What's the matter, nii-chan?"

"Sasuke, you can't sleep here anymore."

"Huh? What did I do?"

"You need to see something, Sasuke."

"Okay, nii-chan." Sasuke slowly slides out of bed, clutching his blanket and yawning. His feet hit the cold wooden floor, and he follows his brother across the room. "Where are we going?"

"To your closet, Sasuke."

"Why are we going there? I know there aren't any oni. Those are baby stories!"

"You're right. Oni aren't hiding in your closet," Itachi pulls open the door, "but you did."

Sasuke's eyes widen as he looks into the floor of the closet, and he sees a little bundle with dark hair at the top. Horror fills him as he bolts from the room, a howl of terror clawing out of his throat. "MAIKO!"

The girl rises from her place on the couch and easily catches Sasuke as he throws himself into her arms with a sob. "Sasu-chan, what's the matter?"

"Maiko, I'm dead!" He cries, sniffling.

"What? Why would you think something like that?" She pets his hair, soothing him.

"N-nii-chan showed me my body in the closet!"

"… Oh did he?" Her emerald eyes flash with anger. "Why don't you show me, Sasu-chan?"

Sasuke points the way, still clutching his blanket and sniffling. Maiko flicks on the light and enters his room to see Itachi on his way out with a chuckle. She crosses the room to the closet and pulls it open and gazes down at the little bundle.

"See?!" He sniffles. Maiko leans down and tugs the navy blanket, out of which fall various toys and the raven feather duster from the hall closet.

Sasuke stares at the mess of toys that spill out then frowns. "… I wasn't really scared."


	5. Haunted Houses -Hinata-

Rin sighs as she rubs her hand over her face. "You have to face your fears sometime, kid."

The small indigo-haired child rapidly shakes her head to the contrary. Those pupil-less lavender eyes are filled with fear as the little girl tries desperately to hide behind her babysitter at the Halloween fair. The older girl sighs and kneels.

"Do we need to go find Neji? I know he's around here somewhere."

Little Hinata just hides her face in her hands, quaking in her oversized jacket. She'd just started wearing the thing, and it'd become like a security blanket. She had found she can easily hide herself with the hood pulled up and the floppy, too-long sleeves in front of her face. Rin sighs and tries again.

"Hinata, there's nothing to be afraid of, and I'll prove it!"

"B-but it's a h-haunted house!" This is progress. She had at least squeaked an answer this time.

"It's not _really_ haunted, though!" Rin sighs in exasperation. "It's just a little maze built out of regular wood and decorated with Halloween things!"

"Th-then why do they c-call it h-haunted?"

"It's just another Halloween game." Her babysitter's voice is firm and level with certainty.

"G-game?" Lavender eyes slowly peek over the tops of the sleeves. "D-does that mean there's c-candy at the end?"

"Yes! AND we'll play that fish game afterward to win you that stuffed fox! So what do you say?" Rin offers her a bright grin, hoping it'll work. "Are you with me?"

Hinata glances rapidly between the older girl and the "Haunted Castle of DOOM!" Finally, she nods uncertainly. "O-okay, Rin-chan."

"Excellent! Way to be brave, Hinata-chan!" Rin leads her to the entrance and offers four tickets to the attendant, who quite boredly swings the gate open for them. Rin looks down as a small hand grips hers from within the jacket sleeve, smiling reassuringly to the little girl as they enter the haunted house.

"Look, Hinata," says a smiling Rin as they turn a corner. "There's a fake skeleton!"

Hinata nods nervously, examining the skeleton covered in stretched cotton sheets and fake spiders before moving along. She squeaks in surprise as a group of fake bats drop from the ceiling, dangling above her head by strings. She manages a little laugh at the goofy expressions on their faces. "Th-they look like pumpkin faces!"

"They do, don't they?" Rin smiles as they go through a hallway and turn a corner. She pauses as a scarecrow comes into view and frowns as Hinata approaches it. "Um… I don't think we should go near that one."

"W-why not?" Hinata smiles as she peers up at it. "It's not so sca-REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The little girl turns with a scream and flees as the scarecrow suddenly growls and darts hands out toward her. Rin watches her go and sighs, scowling at the field ornament.

"Ugh, you're such a spiteful teenager, Kakashi."


	6. Pulling Pranks -Naruto-

A short, blonde-haired devil laughs mischievously as he escapes from his babysitter's sight. He has big plans tonight, and trick-or-treating just isn't going to cut it. He rushes over a couple of streets and finds his supplies stowed away in a bush, a huge grin spreading across his face. This will surely be a night to remember.

And it all starts with ding-dong-ditch.

* * *

Naruto laughs to himself as he rings the doorbell for about the thirtieth time. This time, however, instead of answering the door for what might be trick-or-treaters, the woman within turns off the porch light… and all the lights within. Naruto stays hidden as she leaves her house and drives off, irritation oozing off her like the green goo that her face is REALLY made of underneath the makeup.

The old lady who lives here is so mean… and old! She likes to pretend she's younger than she is, but Naruto knows better. He has seen her without her makeup… and boy, is she scary! At night when no one is around, her face is green and gooey, and he would swear on his ramen that she's an alien – dattebayo!

But tonight, he plans to get her back.

After she leaves, he grabs his supplies and gets… creative… with the decorations. He picks up her pumpkins, one by one, and smashes them on the porch, barely able to smother his giggles. Each window gets a healthy finger-painting made from pumpkin guts. He doesn't bother to clean his hands before digging out the carton of old eggs and chucks them at the front of the house. The longest task is worth the effort: five boxes of forks stabbed into the lawn with a few proud flamingo generals watching over the plastic white troops. And a few minutes later, he proudly steps back to survey his work with a fresh roll of toilet paper in hand, the solitary tree at the front of the house covered in the quilted white streamers.

Everything had gone according to plan. That is, until…

"Naruto!" The boy jumps and slowly turns around when a voice hisses at him from the bushes.

"M-Mayuri-chan! What a surprise… hehe?" He glances down to the toilet paper in his hand then holds that hand behind his back, although the toilet paper tail between his legs is pretty obvious.

"I thought I told you no wandering off! I told you we were going trick-or-treating, not pranking!" The girl steps out from the bushes with her hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Aw, Mayuri-chan… I just wanted to have a little fun." A sigh leaves the blonde's lips, cracking the authoritative façade the girl puts on to keep him in line.

"You really got bored getting handed free candy?" She receives a solemn nod, and she sighs before a grin stretches across her face. "Fine… but hand over the toilet paper."

"Aw, but Mayuri-chan…!"

"Hand it over, Naru-chan. After all," she grins recklessly, "you've missed a spot near the top!"


End file.
